Wigley, social action committee chairwoman at Congregation Shir Hadash of Los Gatos, is heading the seventh annual Backpacks for Children in Need Drive. By the end of the month, she's planning to supply 125 children at local shelters with backpacks and school materials.

"So often we get caught up in our own lives, and it's so nice to reach out to the community on a larger level," Wigley says.

The main shelter receiving the backpacks is Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence, which offers two transitional housing sites, an emergency shelter and a community office in San Jose for battered women and children. As of October, this organization merged with Women and Their Children's Housing and a related program called HomeSafe, which also provides services for battered women and children.

Natalia Galvan, Next Door youth and children's program coordinator, says the support from Congregation Shir Hadash makes her job a little easier.

"There's a dire need by the women that come here. They leave all belongings behind and come to the shelter, deprived of finances because of the power control," Galvan says. "Back to school is a tough time for the children because they don't have money to buy new backpacks. They see a new backpack. They see a new beginning, and it's just a new start for them."

Any additional backpacks will go to the Emergency Housing Consortium in Willow Glen and Sacred Heart Community Service, which provide resources for those impacted by poverty.

The social action committee is requesting the following items be donated, in any quantity or order: backpacks, safety scissors, notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, marking pens, crayons, paper (white and colored), binders, stickers, paste or glue sticks, folders, art supplies, calculators and any other school supplies.

After contacting more than 70 businesses, Wigley has a stack of rejection letters from stores that have turned down her fundraising requests and a list of still other businesses that have yet to respond.

"They are inundated with requests," Wigley says. "They have to pick and choose."

Wigley plans to make the first distribution of backpacks on Aug. 24 and will make additional trips through the end of September, depending on the community's response to the drive.

Davida Rosenbaum, former chairwoman of the committee that started the drive, says the most rewarding part is delivering the backpacks to the shelter managers and meeting the children and families.

Tax-donation receipts can be provided for any school supplies or money donated. Wigley says 100 percent of the donations go toward backpacks and school supplies, and Congregation Shir Hadash doesn't receive a penny.

Donations in the form of backpacks, supplies or monetary donations can be sent to: Congregation Shir Hadash, Attention: Social Action Committee, 20 Cherry Blossom Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95032. For more information, visit wwww.shirhadash.org, call 408.358.1751 or email socialaction@ shirhadash.com.